Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-22

sweat came out upon his face and fore
head.l
"Shall 1 prepare the men for start
sir2" asked the officer next in command
ono, sir-let them rest for the present
will let you know when to sound tn,
saddle CALL" said the Major to the off
Ger, who ssluted and retired.
"Major, for years 1 have been huggins
shame TO my BOSOM" said Mr.. Delorme
hating suddenly in front of the ranger.
The latter looked him in the face witt
wonder; for he really believed him to be
inssne-that he had become craZed witt
trouble.
eyes, 1 have been worshiping the ser
ipent which has fed upon my vitals-have
been blessing the hand that was defling
me!' con .inued the planter.
"All that you say to me, sir, is as in.
comprehensive as a riddle"
"True, major, true! You have not
heard the confession of the villain Mailer
son-ne is beyond recovery, and in his
rawlings has told tale that has set my
very brain on fire. Poor Paul-he is
coming this wayne will tell you all; ]
must go and see the woman who has
borne my name."
The planter fastened away as Paul,
with eyes downcast, but in state of sgi-
tation fully as great as that of Mr.. De-
lorme, came from the direction of the
guardhouse and approached the spot
where Mccullough stood. The young
man passed so close to Ada that she
could have reached out her hand and
touched him had she so desired. He
looked so utterly miserable that an ex-
preston of pity came over her face in
spite of her hatred of him.
"What is the matter, Master Paul?
You and Mr.. Delorme act as if you had
seen ghost, or been lookin' old death
in the face. What is the matter with you
both?"
"Do not ask me, Major-do not ask
me!'' said Paul, with a shudder; and
when he raised mis- eyes to the view of the
maj the latter started, he looked utter
ly miserable.
"Well, I'd like to know what is the
matter don't think friend, such as |
have proved myself, should be treated IN
this way" said the Major, impstiently.
"ForgIve me, Slit is hard to be the
herald of my own shame-ask Mr.. De
lorme!" said Paul, and he passed into the
house.
"Well, this beats all that I've heard of
Istely-they must be crazy, by the way
they act!" said the Major. "Mr. De-
lorme has ever held the best OF charac-
tiers, yet he talks of shame and disgrace,
ana here the young one is running on the
same trail. l hate mysteries, and one
there is here which l can't see into no
way. / believe I'll go and see the old
rascal Malerson-he may have something
to do with the matter? VIII you go
along, Miss Ada?"
eyes, Major"
CHAPTER LVIII.
When Mr.. Delorme left the Major he
proceeded directly to the apartment where
Mrs. Delorme lay very i'll. He looked
| upon her pale face so written over with
! lines of misery, for few moments, and
! then turning to the attend ants babe them
leave the room, saying that he would sit
with his lady for little while. His tone
was very quiet and calm when
he spoke to them, but his
pale face, sunken eyes, and quiv-
ering lips did not denote quiet mind by
any means.
| Mrs. Delorme saw evidently that there
was a storm within his breast, and, pale
as snow and calm as death, she wa tied
1 for it.
"Msdam, John Mslerson is dying-he
will not live an hour longer, the surgeon
says" said Mr.. Delorme, looking her fix
edly in the eye.
dI am glad to hear it," she replied
quietly.
"You take the news very cooIly, ma
dam, considering the relation in which
he stands toward you"
The lady colored slightly, but made no
reply.
chad | kn wn of it before his visit to
you last night should not have been in
terrupted," said the planter, in a sar-
castle way.
"You forget, sir, that l called for help
to arrest the audacious intruder"
"The intrusion of 8 husband should not
be considered audacious," said Mr. De-
lor1ne, with sneer.
The rising color fed from the face of
the Wretched lady, and she sank back
with low groan upon her pillow.
"You see that l know al, madam-all;
that John Malerson is your lawful nus
band, and Paul-poor Paul-your child"
"No, sir; you do not know all; but you
shall know it. Let John Marleson be
brought here, and, if he dare, deny what
you must and shall know. l have a
story to tell of young, warm-hearted
and foolishly susceptible girl won away
from g boarding school in a far away
northern city, in Troy, by tle deceit and
fattery of a villiam-marrisd to him but |
few weeks, when she found that he !
WAS, instead Of the noble, wealthy and |
gifted man who had been the idol of her |
young dreams, 8 gambler, thief and a
villain! From him she fed away with |
disgust and hOrrOr-fed far away to a /
southern land, hoping never to hear |
from him again, fearing even to let /
her own relatives know where she |
was. In a few months a child was
born. 1t was all that she had |
on earth TO love, and she clung to it with !
q mothers yearning affection until il was
of an age when she feared it would in |
quire sitter its father and then she sent it |
30 g. seminary as her nephew, where she
procured for it every care that mothers
heart could dictate. In the meantime she
heard that the wretch who had deceived /
her so bssely had been murdered in a
drunken affrSy, and she felt with Joy that
she was free from him, at least. And she
bent to her cheerfully assumed task of
music teaching with new nerve; for she
worked for an honest support tor herself
and to educate her boy. No one could
breathe . cslumnious breath against
her; she had erred once in marrying
q william whom she did not know, but
che never, TO her knowledge, erred
again. The ever-censorious world could
cast no stain upon her fame; it was! spot
less. She was called beautiful ;she was &C.
and to q degree attractive.
Many were drawn to her side, and she